Smart home kits are still trending, with increasingly more smart home kits being released to the market. They are usually designed for DIY users and are sold at retail channels online or offline or by resellers.
Smart home kits are still trending, with increasingly more smart home kits being released to the market. They are usually designed for DIY users and are sold at retail channels online or offline or by resellers. For end consumers, smart home kits are attractive because they don’t have to pick out individual pieces from a sea of products or worry about interoperability issues. For companies, they see smart home kits as a way to directly reach end consumers without going through system integrators or installers, and they hope that through these kits, end consumers will be able to familiarize themselves with smart home technology and eventually adopt the technology.
Smart home kits may be designed for a single application or for several applications. Common themes include home security and energy management. For example, the kit may comprise a hub, an IP camera, and several motion and window/door sensors. In some cases, IP cameras can act as hubs. Other devices like smart plugs, smart light bulbs and smart thermostats can also be thrown into the mix. It is basically a mix and match of devices a company can offer.
The option of system expansion is almost always available, so customers can grow their system if they’d like, which generates more revenue for the companies. While a closed ecosystem keeps the customers tied in, an ecosystem that provides a decent variety of products can cater to more customers and help them better grow their smart home. As most companies cannot make everything in the smart home on their own, besides expanding product lines, companies may seek to integrate third party devices.
In this feature, we have picked 6 DIY smart home kits from Asian manufacturers.
1.
ORVIBO
ZigBee Home Awareness Kit
Content: Smart Hub x 1, Door & Window Sensor x 1, Motion Sensor x 1
Protocol: ZigBee HA
Debuted at CES 2016, the ZigBee Home Awareness Kit is an elegantly designed kit for home security. The kit works with ORVIBO’s HomeMate App, which will alert the user when motion is detected.
The Door & Window Sensor and the Motion Sensor are powered by one CR2302 button battery and two AA batteries, respectively. The batteries can last more than 1 year according to the company.
The kit is already in production for sales in China and other countries.
2.
Shenzhen NEO Electronics
iHome Kits
Content: Alarm Host x 1, Linkage Alarm IP Camera x 1, Siren Alarm x 1, Arm and Disarm/SOS x 1, Motion Sensor (PIR) x 1, Power Plug (US/EU) x 1, Smoke Sensor x 1, Door/Window Sensor x 1
Protocol: sub-1 GHz (EU: 868.4 MHz; US: 908.4 MHz; ANZ: 921.4 MHz; RU: 869.2 MHz)
The Alarm Host, which acts as the central hub, also serves as an 8-channel NVR and can connect directly to a monitor via HDMI. The Arm and Disarm/SOS is a portable button that can be used for arm and disarm as well as sending emergency alerts. When sensors are triggered, the Siren Alarm will sound and light up, and push notifications will be sent to the user.
3.
Wulian (Nanjing IoT Sensor Technology)
Smart Home Experience Kit
Content: Lookever Camera x 1, Contact Sensor x 1, Motion Detector x 1
Protocol: ZigBee, Wi-Fi
The Lookever Camera is the hub of the system and connects with the Contact Sensor and Motion Detector via ZigBee. The camera captures photo/video in 720p and has a microSD card slot for data storage. It also supports night vision, two-way talk and motion detection.
Photo courtesy of Wulian
4.
Gunitech
CHEKKA
Content: AiO Smart Sensor x 1, Smart Plug x 1
Protocol: Bluetooth mesh (CSRmesh)
The AiO Smart Sensor can be directly plugged into the wall for power and has two sensors in one device – a light sensor and a PIR sensor. The sensors are located on the rotatable cover at the front of the device, and users can rotate the cover to have the sensors face the direction where motion may occur.
The Smart Plug keeps track of power consumption and has a switch for group control.
The kit also supports IFTTT.
Photo courtesy of Gunitech
5.
Hyundai
Smart Home Kit
Content: IP Box x 1, Voice Siren x 1, Magnetic Contact Detector x 1, IP Camera (optional), Remote Control x 1, PIR Sensor x 1
Protocol: N/A
This smart home kit from Hyundai can fulfill users’ basic home security needs. The IP Box is the brain of the system and operates on a rechargeable battery that can last up to 48 hours on one charge. When triggered, the Voice Siren issues an 110 dB buzzer sound and a human voice alert while its LED light indicator flashes. The Remote Control has 3 buttons – one as a panic button and the two for arm and disarm.
6.
Heiman
HiSmart H5 Kit
Content: Smart gateway x 1, Smart door sensor x 1, Smart motion sensor x 1, Smart socket x 1, Smart gas sensor x 1, Smart water leakage sensor x 1, Smart smoke sensor x 1, Smart temperature and humidity sensor x 1, IP camera x 1, Smart remote controller x 2, Smart emergency button x 1, RGB lamp x 1
Protocol: Wi-Fi, ZigBee
The HiSmart H5 Kit has 12 pieces for home security, safety and energy management. The Smart gateway supports ZigBee and Wi-Fi. With the Smart gas sensor, the Smart water leakage sensor and Smart smoke sensor, users can be alerted when there is a gas or water leak or smoke to keep their home safe. The Smart socket can be used to control refrigerators, microwaves, TVs, air conditioners, washing machines and other home appliances. Users can arm/disarm the system using either the Smart remote controller or the mobile app.
Photo courtesy of Heiman